An exciting time at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas continues Monday with an eight-game slate featuring several good matchups.
2015 NBA Summer League schedule: Karl-Anthony Towns faces old teammate Trey Lyles
Towns and several other top prospects are taking the court in Las Vegas on Monday.
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves will be taking the court for the third time to meet scoring leader Bryce Cotton and the Utah Jazz. Kristaps Porzingis and D'Angelo Russell will also be out there when the New York Knicks take on the Los Angeles Lakers. Including Emmanuel Mudiay (who's coming off a double-double for the Denver Nuggets on Sunday) and Willie Cauley-Stein, that makes five of the top seven picks from the 2015 NBA Draft suiting up. Las Vegas on Monday will be a great chance to see some of the game's best prospects in action.
Here is the full schedule (all times Eastern):
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Milwaukee Bucks, 4 p.m.
Players to watch: There's not a ton of prospect star power in this one. Former Cincinnati guard Sean Kilpatrick starred for Milwaukee in its first game in Vegas with 24 points in 26 minutes. He was in the D-League last year and eventually might turn enough heads to earn a shot in the NBA. The Bucks' first-round pick, Rashad Vaughn, has the best pedigree of any player on either team. He scored 14 points in Milwaukee's Vegas opener.
The Cavaliers, meanwhile, don't have anyone who's averaging more than 9.5 points per game. 2014 second-round pick Joe Harris is the only member of the Cleveland summer crew who's likely to be around next season, and he's shooting 20 percent from the field through two games. Hopefully Vaughn can catch enough fire to make this one worth watching.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Brooklyn Nets, 4:30 p.m.
Players to watch: Seth Curry, little brother of Stephen and son of Dell, has been one of the best players in Vegas so far. The former Duke star has averaged 27.5 points, four rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.5 assists through two games, both Pelicans victories. Even though he's just 3-of-16 from three, the younger Curry is showing that he can play a bit.
The Nets might boast the longer list of names, however, with first-round pick Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, guard Markel Brown, big man Cory Jefferson, ex-Lakers big man Earl Clark and former UConn star Ryan Boatright on the roster. Hollis-Jefferson is the obvious one to watch there after averaging 15 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four steals in Brooklyn's first two games.
D-League All-Stars vs. Atlanta Hawks, 6 p.m.
Players to watch: Mike Muscala has played in the NBA Playoffs and the NBA Summer League over the past few months, and it's possible Glenn Robinson III finally makes his debut with the team in Las Vegas after being added to the roster a few days ago. The D-League team is led by Scotty Hopson, who has averaged 23.5 points through two games so far.
Golden State Warriors vs. Sacramento Kings, 6:30 p.m.
Players to watch: The first of the big names finally takes the court as Cauley-Stein and the Kings face James Michael McAdoo and the Warriors. Cauley-Stein has been solid so far, averaging 13 points per game, but he has just six rebounds in 41 minutes of action.
The Warriors counter with a hot-shooting McAdoo, former Ohio State star Aaron Craft, first-round pick Kevon Looney and Serbian big man Ognjen Kuzmic, who was also a member of Golden State's championship team this year. McAdoo leads the summer Dubs with 18.5 points per game on 54 percent shooting.
Miami Heat vs. Denver Nuggets, 8 p.m.
Players to watch: Mudiay has been one of the most impressive players in Las Vegas so far, flashing the point guard skills that some doubted he had after spending the past year playing in China. The No. 7 overall pick is showing he’ll be much more than a scorer for the Nuggets, who have easily won their first two games.
Miami has been the most successful summer league team so far, winning five straight games in Orlando and its opener in Las Vegas on Saturday. Led by Shabazz Napier and second-round pick Josh Richardson, the summer Heat haven't been beaten yet. We're still waiting for our first sighting of Justise Winslow in Vegas, though.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York Knicks, 8:30 p.m.
Players to watch: Russell and Porzingis lead the way here. There are other players worth watching -- including Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr., Robert Upshaw, Jerian Grant, Langston Galloway, Cleanthony Early and Ricky Ledo -- but they all pale in comparison to the two top-five picks.
Russell and Porzingis will be under the microscope in huge markets as rookies, and that has already started in Vegas. The Lakers guard has averaged 11 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in two games, while the Knicks big man put up 12 points in 18 minutes in his summer opener.
Toronto Raptors vs. Houston Rockets, 10 p.m.
Players to watch: The Brazilian duo of big man Lucas Nogueira and forward Bruno Caboclo leads the Raptors, who have earned blowout wins in their first two games. There's also Ronald Roberts, who will reportedly sign a partially guaranteed deal with the team. The Rockets have been one of the highest scoring teams in Vegas behind Alan Williams, Glen Rice, D.J. Kennedy and Will Cummings. Williams followed up a 27-point opener with 16 points in the team's 108-89 win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.
Utah Jazz vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, 10:30 p.m.
Players to watch: Towns hasn't had a monster performance yet in Las Vegas, but his presence still demands watching. You always want to pay attention to the No. 1 pick when he's playing, and it doesn't hurt that Minnesota also boasts young, talented players in Zach LaVine and Adreian Payne. There might not be a more exciting trio of players on any other summer team. The Jazz have Bryce Cotton -- who leads Vegas at 28 points per game -- as well as Rodney Hood and first-round pick Trey Lyles, one of Towns' former teammates at Kentucky. Dante Exum is recovering from a sprained ankle and probably won't play.
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